Interest has really been building lately in the large scale rebalancing that will take place in Cataclysm. With the beta widely expected to be just around the corner, Blizzard is releasing a sneak peak on some of the changes they are planning to make to classes.
Bashiok (Link)
Beginning Wednesday, April 7 we will begin releasing class previews containing an overview of some of the changes currently being planned for each of the 10 World of Warcraft classes. The type of information you can expect from these posts are a list of the new spells from 80-85, the new passive mastery bonuses for all talent trees, a brief outline of some of the talent changes we're currently planning, and in some cases new low level spells for select classes.
These changes will by no means be comprehensive, and are subject to change between now and the launch of the expansion. It's also important to understand that some classes are currently further along in the development process than others, and as a result the amount of information will vary from class to class. Please do not let this frustrate you should your class be amongst those which are on the "lighter" side of things, as all classes will receive the same level of design attention before the expansion is released. Additionally we'll be providing more information for all classes, especially as we move into the beta phase.
Below is the schedule for each class:
Shaman - April 7
Priest - April 7
Warlock - April 7
Warrior - April 8
Death Knight - April 8**
Rogue - April 8
Hunter - April 9
Druid - April 9
Mage - April 9
Paladin - April 16*
These posts are being coordinated internationally so they'll be posted at different times throughout the day and night on the given dates to give players around the world the ability to see posts made at a convenient time. This thread will be updated with links directly to each class preview as they're posted.
*The paladin is still deep in development. Instead of giving a preview that would be potentially less comprehensive than the other classes we made the decision to post it when it's ready, in order to properly honor the paladin class and those that play them. The wait isn't too long however as we're expecting to be able to post it on April 16.
These changes will be posted on the official forums, and we'll be sure to cover them as well and try explain exactly what these changes will mean for your class.
As you can see, most of this information will be coming out this week with the exception of Paladins. I'm unsure of the reason for that, perhaps Paladins are undergoing more changes than the rest of the classes or the devs are scratching their heads trying to figure out how to balance the class with Divine Shield.
Be sure to come back for updates as the class changes are released.
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